Both players are listed as questionable for Sunday, but neither practiced all week, so it would be a surprise to see either in the lineup against Houston. Stewart also sat out last week’s game against Jacksonville.

“It’s just a matter of being cautious,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of Casey’s situation. “When you have a knee that’s a little sore and it’s something he’s had before, we’re just being a little cautious. We’re letting it settle down. He’s had soreness in the knees before, so it’s more just being smart with it and giving him another day to rest it.”

If Casey can’t play, Antonio Johnson and Mike Martin will likely see more snaps than usual.

Stingily is likely to make his second straight start in place of Stewart.

Linebacker Zach Brown, who missed Thursday’s practice due to illness, was a full participant on Friday and is listed as probable.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/12/27/casey-stewart-are-questionable/feed/0Titans’ run defense similar to 2012http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/12/16/titans-run-defense-similar-to-2012/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/12/16/titans-run-defense-similar-to-2012/#commentsMon, 16 Dec 2013 22:19:55 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=28075The lack of improvement in the run defense has to rank as one of the bigger disappointments for the Titans this season.

When the team added big bodies like Ropati Pitoitua, Sammie Hill, Antonio Johnson and rookie Lavar Edwards, much of the reason was to bolster a run defense that ranked 24th at the end of last season.

But with two games left in the 2013 season, the Titans are ranked 23rd against the run, surrendering almost 120 yards per contest. The Titans have given up 20 rushing touchdowns, which is the second-highest figure in the league.

Arizona entered the game with the league’s 29th-ranked rushing attack, but piled up 145 rushing yards against the Titans on Sunday.

“It should be better,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of the rushing defense. “This game here is a game we felt we would stop the run better.

“We allowed two or three runs to pop out of there early, (including) a 20-yarder. We missed some tackles. We had a guy tackled in the backfield. I had just bragged about our tackling. It just shows to watch what you brag about because it will come back to haunt you.”

It was a run that broke the back of the Titans in overtime, as Rashard Mendenhall gained 15 yards to the Tennessee 21, putting Arizona in field-goal range.

“We can’t let them have a 15-yard run to put the game away,” Munchak said. “We needed a stop there. They know that on defense. We at least have to force them to make a good throw and maybe they make a mistake. So (run defense) is something the next two weeks we have to do better at.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/22/breaking-down-recent-contracts/feed/0What does future hold for Klug?http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/14/what-does-future-hold-for-klug/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/14/what-does-future-hold-for-klug/#commentsTue, 14 May 2013 18:34:06 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=25039There was a chicken or the egg-style question surrounding the play of Titans defensive tackle Karl Klug last year: Was his drop in production the result of getting less playing time, or was his getting less playing time the result of a drop in production?

Either way, Klug saw his numbers take a noticeable decline in 2012 after a strong rookie season.

In 2011, Klug piled up seven sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, 32 tackles and two forced fumbles. But in his sophomore season, Klug fell behind defensive tackle Mike Martin on the team’s depth chart. He was on the field for just 22 percent of the Titans’ defensive snaps in 2012, managing 3.5 sacks, five quarterback pressures, 12 tackles and zero forced fumbles.

All of which leads to a bigger question for Klug: What lies ahead for him here, considering the fact the Titans are now arguably deeper at defensive tackle than they were last year?

While it’s true that Sen’Derrick Marks (signed by Jacksonville) no longer figures in the Titans’ defensive tackle mix, the team has added a pair of beefy free-agent acquisitions in 6-4, 329-pound Sammie Hill and 6-3, 310-pound Antonio Johnson. Also still on the roster are 6-4, 310-pound DaJohn Harris and 6-2, 299-pound Zach Clayton.

The goal of the Titans during the offseason clearly seems to have been getting bigger in the middle, which may not bode well for the 6-3 Klug, who weighs in at a relatively light 275 pounds.

Does that mean Klug gets a longer look at defensive end as opposed to defensive tackle?

It’s certainly a possibility, though the argument against that in the past was that Klug’s skill set (good hands and leverage, but not particularly speedy) was better suited to playing tackle than end.

And even if Klug does move wide, there’s good depth at that spot as well, with Derrick Morgan, Kamerion Wimbley, Ropati Pitoitua, Scott Solomon and rookie Lavar Edwards ready to compete for time in the rotation.

So the bottom line appears to be that Klug — who led the Titans in sacks in 2011 (and finished tied for sixth among all NFL rookies) — may find himself battling just to keep a roster spot in 2013.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/14/what-does-future-hold-for-klug/feed/0Titans sign DT Antonio Johnsonhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/13/titans-sign-antonio-johnson/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/05/13/titans-sign-antonio-johnson/#commentsMon, 13 May 2013 22:26:23 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=25034The Titans continued their roster makeover on Monday, although this time they did so by welcoming back a familiar face.

Defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, a fifth round draft pick by the Titans in 2007, signed a one-year with the team after playing the past five seasons with the Colts.

Johnson visited Baptist Sports Park two weeks ago and met with the team’s coaching staff. Johnson became the 14th free agent to sign with the Titans since the end of the 2012 season, not counting the team’s eight draft picks and undrafted free agents.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder will give the Titans even more bulk in the middle of their beefed up defensive line. In March, the Titans also signed 6-4, 329-pound defensive tackle Sammie Hill, formerly of the Lions. The Titans also have returning defensive tackles Jurrell Casey, Mike Martin, Karl Klug, Zach Clayton and DaJohn Harris.

Johnson has played in 67 career games, including 46 starts. A year ago with the Colts he started 13 games and registered 30 tackles. His most productive season came in 2009, when he started 15 games and totaled 37 tackles and a sack. Johnson has 121 tackles and 1.5 sacks over five seasons.

The Titans drafted Johnson out of Mississippi State in 2007, but released him the following season with hopes of re-signing him to the team’s practice squad. The Colts ended up signing him to their active roster.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2013/04/30/dt-antonio-johnson-visits-titans/feed/0Titans have mined D1 Nashville for draft pickshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2012/02/07/titans-have-mined-d1-nashville-for-draft-picks/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2012/02/07/titans-have-mined-d1-nashville-for-draft-picks/#commentsTue, 07 Feb 2012 15:37:07 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=18304If recent precedent is any indication, Titans fans might want to keep their eye on the NFL prospects working out at the D1 Nashville sports training facility in Cool Springs.

That’s because over the past five years, the Titans have drafted five players who have trained there.

It started in 2007 when the Titans selected former Mississippi State defensive tackle Antonio Johnson in the fifth round. Johnson is now a regular for the Indianapolis Colts.

The Titans snared two D1-trained prospects in 2008, former Eastern Michigan defensive tackle Jason Jones in the second round and former Cal tight end Craig Stevens in the third round.

In 2009, it was former Tulane offensive lineman Troy Kropog who got the call, picked in the fourth round by Tennessee. The Titans didn’t draft any D1-trained prospects in 2010, but they did so in 2011, picking former Louisville tackle Byron Stingily in the sixth round.

Could it really be pure coincidence that the Titans have drafted five players who trained locally in the last five years? Probably not.

Titans coaches and scouts aren’t allowed to watch the prospects work out at the facility. But former Titans like Neil O’Donnell, Kevin Carter, Donnie Nickey and Brad Hopkins often tutor prospects at the complex, and there’s nothing illegal about them passing on information to their former organization.

Who might be worth a second look this year?

Three prospects who’ve been training at D1 – Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin, Cal tackle Mitch Schwartz (who I wrote about today) and N.C. State linebacker Audie Cole – were talented enough to have played in last month’s Senior Bowl. A fourth Senior Bowl participant – Alabama tight end Brad Smelley – is expected to join the group shortly.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2012/02/07/titans-have-mined-d1-nashville-for-draft-picks/feed/0Wednesday at the Super Bowlhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/02/03/wednesday-at-the-super-bowl/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/02/03/wednesday-at-the-super-bowl/#commentsWed, 03 Feb 2010 22:21:21 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=4695FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Below are some photos I snapped today. There are some photos of Archie Manning here and some other Super Bowl photos here.

Colts defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, a former Titan, has his game face on.